Posts tagged ‘romance’

Elizabetta Canalis, who recently split from our aging, yet adorable love-boat George Clooney, has been living it up in Positano with her ”close” friend Angelo Vita from Naples, the Italian press are willing them on looking for a hot romance to mess with Clooney’s head. Actually, we are all feeling the heat and are all a bit jaded so any kind of showmance would be super duper, there are no Italian films at the cinemas in Italy during the summer months so lets see some action on the beaches. Great photos from CHI issue 29 as always.

“Edda Ciano e il comunista”, “Edda Ciano and the Communist man” directed by Graziano Diana for Rai TV 2011. I think it is a possible candidate for International Film festivals, a fascinating subject, part of Italian history and really well made. I am surprised that Diana is not making feature films, he is well-known in Italy for his TV work with over 50 titles as a writer, he has acted too, I wish he would give it a go and I hope this film makes it to the festivals as so many TV films have done before. Edda Ciano e il comunista is based on a true story about a small part of Benito Mussolini’s eldest daughters life, Edda Mussolini was born on the 1st September 1910 and past away in Rome on the 9th April 1995, she was illegitimate although her parents did marry five years after her birth. Edda was a headstrong child by all accounts and having a father with a gran title of “His Excellency Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Duce of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire” meant that prospective boyfriends might be just a bit hesitant in coming forward. One courageous lad did step forward and they married in 1930, he was Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari, who later became Italy’s foreign minister, they had three children together before Mussolini had him murdered for treason, tied to a chair and shot in the back or by a firing squad, the Internet has numerous versions of his last moments. Incidentally Eddas son Fabrizio later wrote a book titled “Quando il nonno fece fucilare papa”, “When Granddad had father Shot” After the war Edda fled to Switzerland with her children, she was later sent to Lipari for a number of years due to the connection with the Fascist Party and family background, ” Edda and the Communist” recounts her affair with the communist Leonida Bongiorno. I am now looking for her book “Edda Ciano La mia vita” one interesting life story I think you will agree. After her death in 1995 she was laid to rest next to her husband Gian Galeazzo Ciano.

Synobsis : We see Edda Ciano (Stefania Rocca) arrive on the island of Lipari, her humiliation at the hands of the local authority and the police, as she settles in to serve what amounts to house arrest away from her children, they have remained in safety in Switzerland. Leonida Bongiorno (Alessandro Prezios) a young handsome communist with whom she forms a relationship, that evolves into a deep profound love affair, an affair that is doomed. Edda does form relationships with some locals during her time on the island, however the locals mostly do not care for her, it is a clear case of “The sins of the father”…..

The clip is not from the film, I had real trouble finding a good trailer to attach, so you are treated to Eddas wedding with Gian Galeazzo held at Mussolini’s Villa Torlonia in Rome1930, enjoy. Villa Torlonia is now opened to the public and well worth a visit as he actually lived there for 18 years, it has been restored to the highest spec.

I really enjoyed this beautifully shot romance, yes a little lightweight in places, worth seeing just for Stefania Rocca’s performance alone. I am now off to La Feltrinellis Bookshop …….

So much is going on in the streets of Rome at the moment that Carlo Verdone has taken to the Studios of Cinecittà, where he has started shooting his new film “Posti In Piedi In Paradiso”, “Standing Room In Paradise” (possible English Title) it is a comedy as always when Verdone gets involved, it will be shot over the next 10 weeks in Rome, Cinecittà Studios and Paris. Posti In Piedi In Paradiso has one of my favorite Italian actors starring in it namely Pierfrancesco Favino always a delight to watch, Marco Gialli you might remember him from La Bellezza del somaro, Love and Slaps directed by Sergio Castellitto, he has great comic timing as has the actress Micaela Ramazzotti, a great Italian actress, starring too will be Verdone himself who apart from directing also co-wrote the screenplay, will be a good payday for some when this film is released in 2012. Other cast members have been announced, they are Diane Fleri, Nicoletta Romanoff, Valentina D’Agostino, Nadir Caselli, Maria Luisa De Cresceno and Giulia Greco. The film revolves around three separated men and their economic and emotional instability, they decide to share a flat to save money and support each other through thick and thin…….. I am laughing already.

The Polish director Andrzej Wajda, who has an Honorary Oscar is in the process of setting up his next project about Lech Walesa, the Polish Solidarity leader who was the recipient of The Nobel Peace Price in 1983.

Wajda is considering Italian actress Monica Bellucci for the role of Oriana Fallaci, a tough lady born in Florence in 1929, she dies in September 2006 having smoked herself to death. Fallaci was a Journalist and wrote a number of books, she was however most famous for her political interviews, a tough cookie by todays standards. Political figures interviewed by Fallaci were among others Alexandros Panagoulis a Greek resistance fighter, she claimed he was assassinated by the Junta. Henry Kissinger who described himself as a Cowboy during an interview about the Vietnam war, came of a lot worse and later said about the Interview and I quote “the single most disastrous conversation I have ever had with any member of the press.” Ayatollah Khomeini was also interviewed in 1979, she called him a tyrant and complained bitterly about being forced to wear a “Chador” to see him.

Does this sound like a role for Monica Bellucci ?

I hope Wajda is leaving the casting to a strong sensible Polish woman, who at least will impose a ban on Botox and Wrinkle-fillers, skin peels and SmartLipo a few months before the actual filming or insist on a latex face mask.

Bellucci has just returned after filming her part in “E” directed Bahman Ghobadi it is a film set in Iran, it tells of a beautiful love story with a dash of Iranian realty added.

You may well be wondering after Diva e Donna an Italian weekly Magazine, exposed Puccini’s alleged affair with Claudio Santamaria in last weeks issue. We have been blessed with some excellent and heartwarming news with matching photos of the couple again from D & D, who are always on the sport. The photos were published in their Easter issue and I think you will agree they will be tucking at your heartstrings just a little, sweet family photos of Presiozi and Puccini together with their lovely daughter Elena now 5 years of age. They were papped outside Elena’s school this week, when a very pensive looking Puccini met up to handover Elena to Preziosi, great to see such good behavior in front of the child, a lesson to be learned by many feuding couples. There are no news about Preziosi and Puccini getting back together again, it is still believed Puccini is snuggling up close to Santamaria. All photos are by Diva & Donna.

Vittoria Puccini and Claudio Santamaria are officially a couple, it was revealed in the Italian gossip magazine Diva & Donna, who drew that conclusion from seeing the couple “tenderly” walking hand in hand after a dinner with friends, you cannot ask for more proof than that. Claudio Sanatmaria born in Rome on the 22nd July 1974 has just ended his relationship with long time girlfriend the model Delfina Delettrez Fendi with whom he has a 4-year-old daughter Emma. Emma is already a star in her own right having modeled for the Italian Fashion House Fendi’s children pret-a-Porter collection, wich incidentally was created for her by Granni Fendi.

Vittoria Puccini born in FLorence on the 18th November 1981 has recently split from Alessandro Preziosi, after a very public spat in the streets of Rome well documented by the Italian paparazzi and PrimoCiak. Puccini and Preziosi famously met during the filming of Elisa di Rivombrosa in 2003, they have a daughter Elena together born in 2006, who perhaps now can be a playmate to Emma. My crystal ball is already showing cute photos of the happy family playing in a park in Rome or on an Italian beach papped by Diva and Donna, the mag that always just find themselves in the right spot, due to I am sure a very strong intuition rather than anything preplanned or prebooked.

Santamaria and Puccini have known each other for many years, they first starred together in Ultimo Bacio, The Last Kiss and the resent sequel Baciami Ancora, Kiss me again, they quite obviously did that and more, if we believe everything we read.

Director : An Italoamerican Comedy Musical is the official description of this film directed by Elena Bonelli. Bonelli was an actress back in the 90s and this is her first feature film in which she also stars.

Synobsis : We follow Carmelina (Carmen Napolitano) from Puglia, who has a handbag full of dreams and a strong urge to improve herself while working as a waitress, she also sing love songs at Marco

(Luca Napolitano) the boyfriend who is hankering for a job in the music industry.
Jenny (Elena Bonelli) our talent scout working in New York is informed that her mega rich uncle has died, Jenny hot foots it back to Puglia, where she finds out that she has inherited only DEBTS and an old battered banger full of porno magazines. All three return to the “Big Apple” for a bite of the “American Dream”, there are trials and tribulations but no twist or turns. We are treated to friendship, an accident, funny gags and a love story, most of all we are being served POSITIVITY there is not room for failure, no matter how small the obstacles and to be fair they are pretty small. A family film worth seeing on a rainy Sunday afternoon for sure and Luca Napolitano is a teenage heart-throb if I ever saw one.

I am knocked for six, as they say. What is it pray tell about celebrities and Rome, is it something in the water, do they not know that the Paparazzi is around looking to do a grainy shot of them kissing on the mouth ? Here of course anything else would be considered common curtsy .

Is it Riccardo Scamacio and someone ? Alessandra Preziosi and someone ? Victoria Puccini ? No, this time it is our charismatic actor Daniele Pecci, who “might” (they could have split amicably a month ago, without telling the world press) be cheating on good old Michelle Hunziker. Yep, there are photos and they are not pegging, this is full on mouth to mouth…. eyes closed, incriminating I think you will agree, however in some families that is normal too, so lets not be too judgemental folks. It is again our trusted friends from “Diva and Donne” who have got this major coup d’etat, good on them I say and lucky you that I am here to relay this exciting information in English for you, don’t you thing ? I am taking out a subscription.

Michelle Hunziker and Daniele Pecci had a quick fling back in 2007 and only just got back for another bite of the apple during the autumn of 2010 uhmmm

Good news is that there are no children involved and as they did not live together no dogs to fight over either, a great relief for everyone I am sure. Are they still together ? Well they might be there are no official statements as yet.

Sometimes a rainy afternoon in Catania can turn all sunny and warm, I had no plans to write about this romcom and no real urge to see it either but it was raining and I was cold…….What a pleasant surprise it was, nearly shed a tear too or was it just dust in the air?

Director : Massimiliano Bruno it is his first feature film as a director, you might know him from “Notte prima delle esami”, “The Night Before the Exams Today” a big box office success here in Italy and it hit some International Film Festivals too, Bruno did part of the screenplay for that. Worth noting that Nessuno mi puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me took 3 million Euro in its first week here in Italy, well it is a comedy so I should not really be taken aback.

Best moment : Filippo (Giovanni Bruno) sitting on a table at night singing a love song sniffle sniffle.

Synopsis : Rich Italian family with a big house, swimming pool and servants in Parioli a posh part of Rome, enjoy a superficial life style that ends abruptly, when the husband is knocked down while driving his Vespa after seeing his mistress, leaving behind a mountain of debts.

Alice (Paola Cortellesi) must sell the house and find a new place for her and her son to live, enters the servant Aziz who finds cheap lodgings on top of a building in Quarticciolo a down-market area of Rome. Alice’s paths cross with Giulio’s (Raul Bova) outside the family home and later in his Internet Cafe and a romance is born, you need one to call it a romcon.

Alice needs to make money fast to pay of the husbands debts to keep her son. What better way than “The Worlds Oldest Profession” an Escort, all in the best possible taste I might add as this is a family film.

There are no twists or turns, just a really well made film with no surprises,……. actually Fausto Leali appearing suddenly singing in the Internet cafe was a highlight and a surprise. There was a spring to my step when I left The Alfieri this evening.

Director : Laura Luchetti , this is her first feature film and a great job she made of it too. An interesting fact about Luchetti is that she was back in 1999 the Production Secretary on Il Talento di Mr Riply also know as The Talented Mister Riply. I was not planning to blog this film as I did not actually think it would find its way unto the International Film Festival scene, I was wrong it is in competition at this years Fantasporto 2011 ( full programme will be published shortly ) in Oporto Portugal and also at the New Mexico Italian Film Festival in Albuquerque , great news for Luchetti , I think you will agree.

Best moment : I just loved the tree scene, lovely romantic candles hanging from every branch not a single Health and Safety Officer in sight , how often lady’s and indeed some of our more sensitive gentlemen have we blamed hayfever ,when welling up unexpectantly in a romantic moment, ahhh yes those were the days.

I watched this film on Valentines day, so I am allowed to be a wee bit sentimental, it is very much a young , romantic movie , a girly afternoon at the cinema.

Synobsis : A group of teenagers in Rome, meets around a vintage shop named Twinkled , owned by Stephen who has two children and a wife who does not understand him , the shop brimming with nostalgic knickknacks is in trouble. We follow the trials and tribulations of this shop and each individuals story as it unfolds , romance , heartache, ex’s and blossoming relationships. A real feel-good movie, for when you get the urge.